Nevermore
by nite0wl29
Summary: When an unexpected betrayal sends a wingless fairy into a lonely world of darkness and self-loathing, Rey must learn how to love herself again - with the help of a Raven. Events loosely inspired by the movie Maleficent
1. Chapter 1

_**Another AU you say? I hope you all like this one. It'll be roughly 8 chapters long when it's finished unless I feel the need to expand a little more. This is a fairy AU with Maleficent vibes.**_

* * *

Far beyond the borders of a great kingdom was a hidden, mystical world of fairies. Despite the two worlds living close by for centuries, the fairies were fortunate to have never been seen by humans. In the eyes of people, such winged creatures were viewed as myths who only existed in fables. They were thought to be tiny beings who lived underneath roots of trees, wings delicate and fragile like a butterfly's, and were most often mischievous and pesky to humans.

Luckily _those _fairies were either written or spoken of in human tales because the ones that neighbored them? Well, they were quite different from fairytale pixies.

When the sun rose above the forest canopies that morning it marked the day as officially summer. Its warm rays sparkled through many layers of leaves, piercing every hole that was left in place by a munching insect. Birds in various colors and sizes sang merrily from their perch at high peaks, awakening those who'd been asleep at the lower limbs inside hammocks.

Rey opened her eyes and yawned, legs drawn and held close to her chest beneath the downy blanket that was her wings. She smiled sleepily at the songs resonating from higher branches of her willow tree, noting how a select few sung baritone amongst the choir of tenors. She stayed that way for a few brief moments, wanting to hear the remainder of their beautiful song. It was part of her routine before starting the day. And when the song finished they immediately began the next.

Shifting her position she moved onto her back, parting her wings just enough to stretch her arms and then her legs. Slowly and carefully, she swung her feet over the edge of the net, allowing her bare toes to make contact with the bark beneath, certain that her feet were firmly planted before she stood.

Surprisingly, Rey was the size of the average adult human. She was remarkably light on her feet when on the ground and even faster in the air, making her nearly impossible to catch or be seen by any outsider if she happened to wander too close to the human part of the world; although, if she wanted to she could simply change her size and form. She could be a small bumble bee or a large fire-breathing dragon. Thankfully, she had never needed to be that extreme.

Lacing her fingers she extended her palms high above her head, sighing how good it felt and then spread her wings. Like every fairy, they were unique in appearance. Her feathers were tawny with freckles of gold on the flight plumes, a detail that was visibly best in sunlight, and an ivory claw that curled inward at the first joint. When folded and not in use the very ends of her primary feathers hung to her ankles.

Unlike the majority of other fairies, who actually took pride in their magical powers, what she loved most about herself were her wings. They were strong and powerful and carried her with effortless ease above the clouds into the headwinds. And not once did they falter.

She could hardly imagine what her life would be like without them nor did she ever try. They had been her sole means of comfort during long and sleepless nights, longing for the family who never returned as promised many years ago.

The dress that she wore was simple and moss-colored with seams that settled above her knees. Its neckline hugged the jut of her collarbone with thin straps tied into bows on her sun-kissed shoulders. Her auburn hair hung freely in waves, tucked behind pointed ears and ending slightly passed her shoulder blades, where her wings attached.

Her hands fell to her sides and took a casual step from the limb, the span of her wings served as a parachute to help her land gracefully on the ground, carpeted by minimal amounts of decay and small patches of grass with miniscule violet flowers.

Within the willow's trunk, there was a hollowed-out doorway, serving as the entrance to a variety of gizmos and gadgets that Rey had collected during her daily stroll through the woods. While most females wished to gather flowers and ferns she preferred giving a home to abandoned trinkets.

Depending on the size of the object she sometimes found them steadily drifting in the nearby shallow river: pearled necklaces, dinnerware, and bronze medallions were a few that she deemed too pretty and interesting not to keep. However, whatever the small thing with a narrow handle and prongs was, exactly, she hadn't the faintest idea. There was another object that was similar but was instead more rounded.

She liked to imagine on occasion what the humans had used them for. The one seemed too oddly-shaped and small to be a brush for hair, or a till for culling the soil. She found it unlikely that they would have used them to eat when that's what hands and teeth were for.

She never bothered to ask what the other fairies had thought, most were too busy grooming themselves at the falls of the lagoon, doing one another's hair in vines and posies, to have cared. Aside from the very few whom she considered friends Rey had always felt like an outcast for her differences in living and enjoyed the company of animals rather than being amongst her kin.

She grabbed her satchel that hung from a loose chunk of tree bark next to the doorway. It was a ragged-looking handbag she had made from the material of a feed sack, one that she'd found wrapped around a sapling near the outer perimeter of the forest.

Following the roots of her home to the river, she knelt at the bank and cupped her hands, taking a fair amount of water into her palms and washed her face. She greeted the hovering dragonflies and other water bugs and fish with a sweet _good morning_.

The temperature wasn't quite so humid as it would be later in the morning, so she set out to make her daily trek through the forest then, rather than waiting until early afternoon when the sun would be at its highest.

She spotted a pair of red foxes not long into her walk amongst the vine-covered trees, playing near a rotting log and a handful of chattering squirrels and chipmunks. The forest was peaceful and the wildlife seemed content. Then, it was all suddenly disrupted by obnoxious caws and shrieks, stemming from a short distance of her current location.

She quickly followed the cries for help through the trees, minding the fallen branches whose leaves were still intact. She found the creature near the hole of a badger's den, an injured raven with an arrow lodged into its wing, hopping about frantically and hopelessly relieving itself of the wooden projectile. She knew it was only a matter of time before the grumpy resident of the lair aroused from its sleep, and the poor bird would undoubtedly become its next meal.

"Well, hello there," she purred, approaching the injured creature slowly. "What happened to you?"

The raven immediately stopped with its antics and fell silent, watching her approach. Its beady black eyes eliciting apprehension. Its chest was heavily flaring from the previous state of panic, wings spread and wanting to fly. She gave it a reassuring smile, meaning that she meant it no harm.

"You're going to wake a very not-so-friendly neighbor if you keep up with the ruckus," she affirmed, leaving a foot or two in distance between herself and the bird when she lowered into a crouch. "But I can help you. It's okay, I won't hurt you."

The raven cocked its head at her, alternating from side to side as if measuring her offer. It really was a beautiful creature, one that was rarely ever seen in the area as they were said to be messengers of bad luck and death. Its feathers were as black as ebony, though there were hints of azure in certain places whenever it moved. It was bigger than most ravens she'd seen in the past, and alone whereas most traveled in pairs. Seeing the arrow in its wing made her wonder if its mate had suffered a far worse fate.

She slowly extended the palm of her hand to it, continuing to smile. "I can get the arrow out for you," she assured. "You can stay with me until you're healed, then you can be on your way."

The raven cocked its head with every word, and she couldn't help but chuckle when its situation clearly wasn't funny. However, it must've been enough to make her seem trustworthy, considering the bird drew in its unhurt wing and ambled towards her, cawing softly as if meaning to express its thanks.

She carefully picked it up and snuggled the bird to her chest with her forearm, surprised to see that it was virtually weightless when it was considerably large. She let the injured wing hang over her arm, though being able to see it up close allowed her to recognize whose arrow it was. She frowned at the arrow's feathers that were black with streaks of red.

She stood and turned to head back towards her tree, but saw that her friends Armie and Gwen were near and approaching, bows in hand at their sides. Armie and Gwen's home in the swamps was destroyed by humans years ago, where they lived off of meat when those in the lagoon survived on fruits and greens. When they typically hunted alligators, large snakes, and the occasional elk she wondered what a bird would've had to offer them for nourishment. Of course, thinking about berries made her stomach growl.

"Ah, thanks, Rey!" Armie praised. "I was wondering where the beast had fallen."

"You're only supposed to hunt _predators_, Armie," Rey chided. She glowered at the redhead and his blonde counterpart as she met them halfway in strides, piercing her hazel irises with his rigid and icy blues. "Ravens are scavengers. And I would hardly call a creature who also eats mice a threat to us."

Like all male fairies, Armie was bare-chested, wearing a muddy pair of loosely fitted knee-length slacks that frayed around the edges. His reddish hair hung in shaggy layers and clung to his face from sweat, skin pasty and his form scrawny yet toned. His wings were creamy, tainted a rusty-shade of red on some of the quills, quiver harnessed and hung at the center of his back.

Gwen was surprisingly taller than the average female fairy, hair short and strikingly blonde, skin lucid like Armie's and eyes just as cold. Her dress was as simple as Rey's but silver and would glisten whenever touched by moonlight, wings an alabaster white.

"Our apologies," Gwen uttered coolly, eyes lowering to the bird that was meeting her gaze. "We actually thought it was a hawk when we saw it in the air."

Rey arched a brow, having believed the pair to be far more competent and capable of distinguishing the apparent differences between a hawk and a raven. But even then the excuse didn't seem good enough, as hawks were far from being feared predators - unless they'd shrunk to the size of a pixie which was a rare case of its own.

"Well, it wasn't," Rey grumbled.

"He's just a _bird_, Rey," Hux countered bitterly. "One less devil bird in the area makes the rest of us happy."

"It's _not _a devil bird," she scolded back, leveling her chin. "And he's going to stay with me until he's better."

_So the raven was a he? _She wondered how Armie had known that just by simply looking at it; however, the other fairy's expression had made it clear that he didn't share the same bit of enthusiasm over the notion as she.

"Yeah, sure," Armie gestured his free hand to the air with a grimace. "Anyways, I was meaning to find you later on today."

Rey scoffed. "Oh?"

Armie nodded and shrugged. "I was thinking that we could watch the stars come out tonight. If you want to?"

_Oh! _Rey loved to stargaze. It was almost a weekly tradition with her two friends to spend a night amongst the canopies and pick out the constellations. Then she remembered the raven she was holding, and when she looked at it she was met with a pair of eyes that were no longer black but a darker shade of brown with blotches of honey. She wondered what other surprises that the raven had in store.

"Um, not tonight," she whispered, looking to see the disappointment on Armie's face. "I need to make sure that this little guy will be okay. I'll see you later."

Armie opened his mouth to object, but was silenced when Rey turned her back and left. She looked to the raven that was contentedly settled on her arm again, seeing the same warmth in its eyes as before. If she hadn't known better, she would've thought its soul was far deeper than what the usual fowl possessed.

"You know, as long as you're staying with me, you're going to need a name that's something other than _Bird_."

The bird shook its head at a rapid motion and ruffled its feathers around its neck and back, meaning that it agreed. Or so she thought, at least. It was obvious that the bird couldn't speak.

She mulled over a selection of names that she could call the creature instead of _Bird _over the duration of her short walk. It wasn't until she arrived at the entrance to her home when she found the perfect one. Tilting her chin down to the raven, she grinned and said its new name.

"Kylo. I'll call you_ Kylo_."


	2. Chapter 2

"You know, as long as you're staying with me, you're going to need a name that's something other than _Bird_."

His feathers ruffled at that.

**_I have a name_.**

However, it was a name that he hadn't called himself since the day his parents were killed by the human's deforestation. And before he'd sentenced himself to live a life of loneliness and grief. Back then, he still maintained the appearance as a fairy. Back then, he was still Ben Solo.

He was taller - _much _taller - in fact, and more broad with beauty marks blemishing his pale skin. His hair was onyx, like his wings, but shaggy and lacked the azure hidden in their plumes.

Being awkward in demeanor made it hard for him to socialize with others and even more with ladies who showed any sort of interest in him. Unfortunately, his large ears and prominent features also made him an easy target then for bullies.

So instead of bothering with friends, he took to the enjoyment of practicing calligraphy at the base of their home inside a mangrove tree. It was better than being surrounded by other male fairies his age, who usually hunted for pleasure while priming the ego of whoever snagged the biggest kill that day.

Despite not having it altogether in the social aspect of life, living in the swampland actually hadn't been so bad. Being an introvert was easier when one had family close to them and held interests in other things to stay busy.

But then one day, everything he had ever known and loved suddenly vanished.

The years had come and gone since he'd last phased into a fairy. Even if he wanted to again, it was likely he could never be the same person. After being shooed away so many times by others, shouting phrases like 'devil bird' and 'cursed one', he couldn't help but now believe them.

At least they were better than _Dumbo _and a few other harsh names he'd been called in the past. Devil bird was a lot less personal when it was common for ravens in general though it never ceased to lessen the pain that he would always be alone.

That was until fate's arrow brought him directly to _her_.

"Kylo. I'll call you_ Kylo_."

Her heavenly voice broke him from his train of thought. Raising his beak he looked at the fairy who was kind enough to have wanted to help him, meeting her gaze as she had also lowered her chin to regard him. Her eyes were a stunning shade of hazel, lips curved into a smile that could've easily brightened the gloomiest of days. Studying her so close allowed him to easily forget about the arrow lodged in his wing.

**_Kylo. _**

He mused over the sweetness of her voice, wondering what it'd be like to hear her say his real name rather than the new. But Kylo was a nice name. And it wasn't Dumbo or Devil Bird or Cursed One.

**_Gods, she is beautiful! What was her name again?_**

"I'm Rey, by the way," she added, stealing the thought from his mind. "Not that you're dying to know or anything. I guess it is kinda pointless since you're a bird and can't talk."

_**Rey. Like a ray of light? How fitting. Oh, please do tell me more about yourself, Rey. There's much that I wish I could tell you.** _

"I like to collect things," she confessed. "So I hope you don't mind my clutter. If you were a person you'd probably be a little horrified of my hoarding problem."

**_What do you like to collect?_**

"But there are so many cool things out there. It's hard choosing what to keep and what not to!" She gushed, motioning a free hand in front to prove her point. "So I keep whatever I find. But I _do _have a few favorite things that I've found. One of them is this silver thingy with four prongs and a handle. The other is silver too, but it's kind of rounded at the end? I can't even tell you why they're my favorite other than they're just - different."

_**I'm pretty sure those are called a fork and spoon.** _

He only knew because of having to use the so-called _fork _for dinner whenever they had meat by the slabs. The other was for when his mother used to make his favorite, alligator stew. Maybe - _maybe _he could actually summon the courage to tell her that out loud and not just babble about it in his head.

"You would be surprised at all of the crazy things that humans like to throw away. You'll see what I mean once we're inside," she nodded towards a place up ahead. "It's nothing grand, but it's home."

Turning his head from Rey, Kylo saw the willow tree she was approaching, reminding him of the mangrove that once stood among murky waters in the marsh. It was grand. It was paradise. It looked just like home.

**_It's perfect._**

* * *

Keeping Kylo cuddled close to her, Rey rummaged through her possessions, determined to find something sharp enough to cut the arrow into halves. By doing so she hadn't realized _how much _she had until she was required to sift through every pile, looking for one very specific thing.

"I told you that I had a lot of junk," she chided, lips bearing a scowl.

Propping a hand on her hip she made a clicking sound with her mouth, scanning her eyes over every object that was visible to her sight. There were golden goblets, coins, buckets, pearled necklaces, and other arbitrary trinkets scattered amuck, but nothing capable of slicing a rod. With having no light available to her advantage, other than a single beam seeping through a small hole in the willow's trunk, such a small task felt impossible to finish.

_Caw! Caw!_

Blinking she glanced from the heap of rubbish to Kylo, eyeing her imploringly.

_Caw! Caw!_

"Did you find something?" She asked, raising a brow at his sudden outburst.

_Caw! _

"Well, I would let you fly to show me but you can't," she affirmed. "You'll need to be a bit more specific."

She watched him cock his head, his movement near robotic before he turned away. Following the direction in which he was pointing to with his beak, he steered her to a sector at the center of the willow's dusky interior.

_Caw! Caw!_

Scoffing, she slowly ambled toward the space that his caws had led her to. He fell silent when she came upon a stack of various tools lying along the floor, next to a small chest. She glanced at him again for confirmation, Kylo simply gazed back.

"In here?" She asked, pointing a finger to the stack, receiving a stare as his response.

"If you say so," she sighed, not believing she was taking guidance from a bird.

Tightening her grip so he wouldn't fall she knelt before the gizmos settled at her feet, using a hand to push aside the wooden handles furnished on some. And there, pointing upright from the clutter, was the blade of a small dagger.

Shaking her head in disbelief she looked at Kylo again, gazing back at her with eyes soft and expressive. She knew that ravens were highly intelligent, so that was nothing out of the ordinary. But to know _precisely _what she needed? That was something new.

_Those eyes, brownish rather than black. Astonishingly smart. Larger than most. Who are you really, Kylo? _

Her lips parted to speak, but the questions reserved for him never came. After spending more than enough time around animals it wasn't hard for her to recognize a fairy who'd gone into hiding. The details distinguishing the differences were vague but visible, only if one was willing to take the time to notice.

But why hadn't he phased back? Wasn't it clear to him that she was trying to help? Or perhaps she just needed to try harder and earn his trust, prove to him that she wasn't like the rest. Maybe then he would let her see his true self.

"Let's get that arrow out," she smiled, grazing her thumb along his belly. "What do you say?"

Adhering to his caw of approval, she grabbed the knife and took a seat in a spot free of rubble near the entrance. Crossing her legs she settled Kylo on her lap, trying her best not to jar his crippled wing. Using the knife she carved a deep slot into the rod near his feathers, making it easier for her to break and not injure him more.

Frowning she saw Kylo flinch at the harsh crack. She set aside the severed half and brought her index to his chest, softly stroking his tiny feathers with a knuckle. Their downy texture there felt like velvet, softer than the larger plumes that ran down his back. Reclining his head he peered at her again, chest slightly puffed.

"You're doing great, Kylo," she crooned softly. "But I'm going to need you to stay still for this next part. It may hurt a little bit though so try not to concentrate on it if you can. Think about something good, someplace nice."

He silently did as he was told. Rotating his head from her, he held his gaze toward the stream. While Rey prepared herself to remove the arrow, she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. She wondered what he looked like as a fairy, what his real name could be and where he was from. She hoped to find out before he left: if he decided not to stay after recovering.

"Good boy," she cooed, caressing him a little more before tending to the inevitable. "I'll make this quick, I promise."

She felt his body flinch again when she pulled the arrow free, leaving a hole of relevant size in place of its absence. His wing limply hung over the bottom hem of her dress, leaving red droplets of blood to fall onto the sandy soil beneath. Anger scourged her cheeks at the sight of it, knowing that Armie and Gwen would've killed one of their own kind if she hadn't interfered.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. I swear that they've never been a problem before," she assured, setting the piece aside with its other half.

"But I can go about fixing this in two ways. One, I can try healing you with my powers - and fail miserably because I haven't quite mastered it like Maz," she grumbled. "She's a grumpy old fairy and very superstitious about everything, even more than everyone else; otherwise, I would ask her to help you. She even hangs garlic around her Maple if that tells you anything. The next option is I can bandage you up, and you can stick around with me for a little while. Of course, that's only if you're not in a hurry to leave."

Kylo didn't respond with his usual cawsat that but instead nipped the fabric of her dress with his beak. She took that as his way of saying _yes_. She carefully gathered him into her arms again and carried him over to a small indentation inside the tree, a shallow ledge that served as a shelf. Small-scale mason jars lined its narrow space, each filled with a different homemade paste that was unique in purpose.

Allowing him to perch on the bobbin of a broken spinning loom, she chose the jar that contained a creamy healing balm from the shelf. Gathering a liberal amount with her fingers she dappled it over the puncture on his wing.

"This will help with the pain," she explained.

When she was finished she set the jar aside, then turned in search for a cloth that would make a suitable dressing. She found a worn-out, brightly-colored flag, attached to a rope with several more that were vivid in color. Using the blunt tips of her nails, she tore the fabric in half, wrapping the gauze once then twice around his wing before securing it with a knot.

"There," she beamed, eyeing her handiwork. "Good as new - for now."

He studied the foreign article before drawing the wing to his body, eliciting faint babbles that he approved.

"I'm glad you like it," she affirmed. "Now that I have you fixed up, I'm starving. I hope you like berries? Because that's mostly all that we eat here."

Kylo bowed his head then up, implying another yes. Smiling she tipped her shoulder to his level, offering it to him as a roost. His talons were sharp like needles but he was gentle with his movement, so much that it tickled instead of hurting. She brushed the downy feathers of his breast with her fingertip once he was settled, sitting tall with his head leveled and proud.

"My pet," she teased.

His head snapped to her at that, indicating his aversion. Snickering, she scrunched her nose.

"Or not."


	3. Chapter 3

_The morning felt like the beginning to any normal day. Rey stirred from her slumber, listened to the choir of birds sing in the canopies, and rose from her hammock. Up until the moment she began noticing everything that divided reality from fantasy, she assumed the world around her was real. _

_The voices caroling in the trees began to gradually diminish, fading to a more long-distant hum. The air was warm and cheery, not laden with the usual sticky summer heat. The atmosphere appeared hazy and dreamy like she was living in some kind of trance. Or was it a dream? _

_Slowly, intuitively, she began to move toward the heart of the lagoon where waterfalls plunged from cliffs at whimsical heights. She hardly ever visited that area of the waterfront so she didn't understand why she was brought there. _

_Perhaps it was simply eager for her to see nature's most breathtaking scenery. Or maybe it was destiny's way of showing her something more, something bigger. Something beyond the bark and wilting branches of a willow tree. Away from shadows and where sunlight thrived. Apart from solitude and where friendship bloomed. A belonging. Although she would be surprised if that were so._

_A small gathering of waterfowl and other creatures were there to welcome her. Surprisingly she saw none of the other fairies who usually populated the area. That was her final verification, this version of her homeworld definitely wasn't real. Much to her own amusement, she stayed, wanting to savor it all before reality made it vanish. _

_Parking herself amongst small pebbles of bedrock and mud, she teased the shallow water there with her toes, gazing with awestruck eyes at the musical ensemble straight ahead. It was the first symphony of its kind for her to have ever witnessed. Sadly it would likely be the last since dreams like this seldom ever happened more than once._

_There were turtles sunning themselves on rocks. Fish of species big and small grazed beneath the water's surface, snatching insects that hovered above, avoiding the blue herons and loons who lingered nearby. Mockingjays mimicked the toons of their cousins from cherry blossom trees. Water frogs and toads provided just the right amount of base from their posts on moss-infested logs._

_When one melody ended another abruptly started in its place. She sat like that for the longest time, listening, hoping her other self held no intention of waking anytime soon. And then, like it was rehearsed specifically for the act, a smaller jay flew from its blossom perch and landed on the finger she'd offered, singing to Rey her own personal solo. _

_Or tried to at least…_

_For being a songbird the little jay was slightly off-key; however, the speckles dotting its back told her it was still a chick. With a smile on her face, she watched it perform, trying not to wince whenever it struggled to reach higher-pitched notes. It sang and sang and sang. And sang some more until its tiny heart was finally content. _

"_That was so beautiful, thank you," she praised with glee. "Just keep practicing, okay?"_

_Happy to have earned her appraisal the jay gave a sharp chirp and flew away. She watched it disappear inside the rosey blossoms where it previously sat. _

"_I think 'tolerable' would have been more accurate."_

_Startled her breath caught in her throat at the sound of the stranger's voice, richer than velvet and deep within its timbre. Her having company in a fantasy world was the last thing she had expected, knowing that the visitor was a male made it worse. _

_She scrambled to her feet and turned, expecting to see one of the other male fairies from her home but was instead met with the face of someone new. Someone who she hadn't seen before. Someone who had left her at a total loss for words. _

_He was impressively taller than the average male fairy, broad-shouldered with wings as black as ebony, and creamy skin on a chest that may as well have been etched from marble. Prominently defined pelvic lines beneath a toned abdomen extended from a pair of black slacks, frayed around the bottom hems and ending at his knees. Lush layers of a raven mane framed his handsome face, dappled by beauty marks, and ineffectively hiding the narrow tips of large ears. _

_Her gaze swept over his pillowy lips to his eyes, warm and brown and mottled with flecks of honey. The longer she stared, the more she found them strangely familiar. She had seen them before but on someone of an entirely different form._

"_I'm sorry," he grimaced, folding his arms. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I just -."_

"_No, I - who are you?" She demanded curiously, recovering from her inadvertent gawking. "Have we met before?"_

_Hesitant to respond at first, he took a breath then nodded. _

"_We have." His lips twitched at the corners. "Just once though."_

_Intrigued her mouth opened with a need to know more, but at that same moment, the sun emerged from over the canopies, exposing the azure in his feathers. There was also a scar on his left shoulder she hadn't noticed, raw and clearly an arrow wound in its early stages of healing. Like everything else about him, it reminded her of Kylo's. _

_Blinking at the blemish on his skin, her brows knitted when she realized that Kylo was missing. An absurd thought crossed her mind then and she closed her eyes, shaking her head in an effort to set aside the notion that Kylo and the stranger were one and the same. Because why would Kylo, as a fairy, visit her in a dream? It really was silly, even though the evident details suggested otherwise. _

_When she opened her eyes, the world had changed and her handsome stranger was gone. There was no music. No glee. And she was left standing in darkness, surrounded by a forest of thorns._

Fortunately, from under the branches of her willow Rey woke to a morning of cloudy skies - and no thorns. There was no dazzling symphony playing for her; neither was there a tall, dark, and handsome fairy within her company.

So many words had been left unspoken, questions left unanswered. Like how had they previously met when she held no memory of it? His eyes. His wings. That scar and sensual voice. The familiarity of him, and not being able to put a finger on _how _she knew him, troubled her like something fierce.

Deep inside, she wished he had told her his name, but she supposed it would've made little to no difference if he did. She needed to convince herself he was nothing more than a figment of her imagination, that he wasn't real. Since visions were seldom as they seemed she didn't bother pondering what the rest had all meant; although, one aspect of it remained the same. Not only had Kylo been absent from her dream, but he was also nowhere to be seen in the world outside it.

For the past several weeks throughout his recovery, Kylo had stayed with her in her hammock at night. Sometimes he cozied up to her in the crook of her neck, using her wing for padding, while others were spent on her belly. Regardless of where he slept, he had been with her whenever she woke.

She had always been aware of the chance that he would leave when his wing completely healed, but it was a day she also dreaded. After many days of him perching on her shoulder, she had become used to his constant presence. For the first time in her life, she never felt entirely alone.

The selfish part of her began to hope her friendship would be enough for him to stay. There was so much she wanted to know about him, wanted to _see _even. How she longed to see his face, to _hear the _comfort of his true voice. Up until now, a week following his ability to fly again, she believed there was a possibility of it happening.

Oh, how foolish she was to have thought such a thing. No one ever came back for her, not even her own parents did. So why would a raven, with no strings attached to her, want to live with her in the slums when he had freedom at the tips of his wings?

_You helped him, Rey_, she sniffed, drying the moisture from her bottom eyelashes with a knuckle. _You did what you promised him. You have to let go._

_Caw! Caw!_

With a sharp gasp, she turned from her seat at the riverbank to see said raven gliding towards her. As he hovered before landing, she caught a flicker of something attached to the end of his beak, reflecting a ray of sunlight.

"There you are!" She cried happily, relieved that he hadn't left after all. "Where did you fly off to so early?"

Gingerly he settled his feet on her knee, jutting his beak to reveal the tiny ring-shaped object that he carried. She chuckled, assuming he wanted her to take it. So she did with a raised brow.

"You're feeding my hoarding problem now, huh?" She mused. "Let's see what you brought me."

Studying the trinket in her fingers she saw that it was indeed a ring, bronze with an intricate carving of two hands clasped together, dirtied in the grooves from wherever he found it. But she didn't care. It was her most prized possession now because it was from him. Unfortunately, it was roughly a few sizes too big when she slid it over a scrawny finger.

"This is beautiful, Kylo," she beamed at him. His chest swelled with pride. "It doesn't fit, but we can improvise, right? I'm sure there's some string or something with the rest of my junk that I can use to make it work."

Seeming to agree he took to his usual post on her shoulder, while she proceeded to search through a collection that had gotten ridiculously larger with each passing day. She found a black pair of slacks that she had rolled up and shoved into a basket, frayed at the bottom leg hems. The unraveled thread was thick, ideal for her ring to serve as a necklace.

She gave the longest string of thread a hard tug, freeing it from the garment. She slipped it through the center of the loop and then knotted the ends together. Her smile widened when she placed it around her neck, and the space in which encompassed her heart flourished with a new kind of warmth. Kylo gave her a few tender pecks on the cheek, minding the sharp tip of his beak.

Did he just kiss her?

Drawing her head back askance, gaining a better view of him, she grazed a finger over his fluffy crest. By doing so she aroused a soft purr from his throat, Kylo's newest way of assuring her he was happy. His eyes grew hooded when she moved to his cheek.

"I bet you're that way with all the ladies aren't you?"

That caused his eyes to widen. Puffing his feathers Kylo tucked his head beneath his wing. She laughed, thinking she must've embarrassed him.

"Well, I can assure they would've been very lucky to have you," she cooed.

"Rey!"

"In here Armie!" She hollered back, shocked upon hearing a low growl rumble the raven's chest.

"Now what's gotten into you?" She scoffed. "It's just Armie, silly. He knows better now that he shouldn't have shot you. "

* * *

**_Precisely._**

Kylo knew of the ginger's precarious reputation all too well, more than he liked to admit as he had often been Armie's prime target of cruel nicknames and pranks in the past.

Back in the marshland, Armie had gone by the name Hux, founder of the realm's most notorious bully gang The First Order. If she were only aware of the atrocities that Armie was guilty of committing, she likely wouldn't have called him her _friend_; even though Armie seemed to be quite different with her than he was back then.

In spite of knowing Armie's significant change of heart towards her, their friendship never ceased to curb his repugnance toward Hux. Or Armie, whatever, the name was much too soft for him to swallow. It was difficult not to pluck an eyeball from Armie's pale and rigid face. How he always managed to refrain from doing so whenever the fairy was around surprised him every time. As always, Hux's face was smug when he entered the willow.

"You have _way_ too much crap in here," Armie scowled, browsing over the clutter.

Rey wasn't deterred by the remark. It seemed to make her more excited to show off her newest possession. "Perhaps, but look!" Taking the ring between two fingers she thrust it forward so Hux would see. "Kylo found it for me this morning!"

"Charming," Armie quipped, not caring the slightest bit. "I came by yesterday but you weren't here as usual."

_**Because she was with me.** _

"Oh, yeah! Kylo and I were out and about in the woods all day."

Armie crossed his arms, arching a brow. "And the day before then?"

She tapped a finger at the side of her chin, making a clicking sound behind her teeth. "Same thing probably."

"So you get a pet and I get sidelined. Am I not good enough now? Is that how it is?" He sneered. "It's been well over a month since the last time we even hung out!"

Kylo couldn't deny how delightful it was to see the agony on Armie's face. Along with every revelation of her admitting to rather spend time with Kylo and not _him_, he watched the dagger wrench itself deeper. And deeper. It was almost painful to witness. Almost…

**_Forget the eyeballs. This is revenge is so much better._**

"Don't be ridiculous," she chided, crossing her arms. "You're my best friend, right?"

Armie snorted. "You tell me, Rey. I was going to invite you to a gathering with friends tonight. But do I even want to bother?"

Chewing her bottom lip, she regarded Kylo from her peripheral like she was expecting his permission for her to go. Kylo knew that he had no right to hold a claim over her, she was certainly able to take care of herself. But _this_ \- something wasn't right. Something about Hux's offer felt off though he wasn't able to provide a reason why.

"_Without _the bird," Armie added bitterly, his icy gaze fixed on Kylo.

Right there! There it was.

**_No! No no no! Please, Rey. Please stay with me._**

"Fine," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "What kind of gathering are we talking? Like a party?"

"You'll see," Hux grinned in triumph. "It's a surprise."

"You know that I hate surprises," she grumbled.

**_But you love mine._**

She looked at him, smiling. He swore that she must've read his mind. If only she were more attentive to the rest of his thoughts.

"So I'll see you tonight then?" Armie suggested.

Nodding, her gaze returned to Armie. "Yes, tonight."

Smug, Armie raised a hand to her face. Whether he planned to hug her or not, Kylo never found out. As Armie's fingers brushed over her skin and past Kylo, he couldn't resist the opportunity of biting just one. _Hard. _He actually drew blood.

Armie shrieked and hastily retrieved his hand. Rey gave him a reprimanding look, mouth agape.

"Kylo!" She exclaimed. "What has gotten into you?"

Armie glowered at him, favoring his injured hand to his chest, lips tightly pinched. "I should've aimed for the vile creature's heart instead," he spat.

"You would have done no such thing!" She barked, gesturing a hand towards the entrance. "_Just_ _go, _Armie. I promise I'll see you tonight."

Armie cast a final glance in her direction, nostrils flaring and temper rising, before he finally left.

**_Finally. _**

"_You _should be ashamed of yourself," she scolded, giving Kylo a light pop on the beak with a finger. "If I didn't know any better, I should say that my pet is acting a wee bit jealous today."

**_Gods, I hate that name._**

And Kylo was far from jealous, quite the contrary actually. If he could just get her to understand then all would be golden. But he knew she would go whether he begged her to stay or not. He hoped that his intuition was wrong, blame it on the change in weather. At least it would put him more at ease to enjoy the remainder of their day together; which was spent exploring trails and picking fresh berries to replenish their stash at home.

Storm clouds began moving in while the late hours of dusk descended. Kylo kept his silent promise to Rey and stayed behind, begrudgingly. Although there had been a few times where he considered lingering at a distance, just to be sure she was safe. But he opted out with the latter and instead, he waited.

And waited.

And waited some more on a branch of their willow, alongside the one supporting their hammock. As the hours carried late into the night he slowly dozed off. When he opened his eyes next, it was barely daylight. A soft rain trickled through the leaves and limbs, dampening his feathers and the rope to an empty hammock.

**_The hammock. Rey! Where is she?_**

He couldn't find her in the canopy, neither was she inside the trunk with her trinkets or down by the lagoon. The longer he searched, and came up empty-handed, the more he started to panic.

Rey had never come home.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter was incredibly difficult to write. There**** is**** a**** paragraph**** that**** may be somewhat triggering to some so I'll have a pair of ** before and after the paragraph if you should choose to skip over it. 3**

* * *

Not one piece of land was omitted from Kylo's search for Rey that morning. Boulders, toppled trees, hollow timbers, hedges, places in which she could've used for hiding spots hadn't been ignored. He'd also checked inside every cleft to every tree, just in case she was in creature form. And inadvertently disturbing a few very cranky great-horned owls in the process.

Because if Rey was anything akin to his kind from the marshes, he assumed she might have phased while in the proximity of a threat. The probabilities of that may have seemed unlikely, but the odds were present. Kylo wasn't about taking chances at this point.

Except, finding her in that particular aspect wasn't the problem, it was covering every square inch of a forest that seemed to have no end - doing so alone. And he hadn't the slightest idea as to where she'd ventured off to the evening before with Hux.

As the morning rolled into the peak hours of mid-afternoon the rain gradually tapered off to a soothing mist, and the sun had begun to shine through the clouds. With no indications of her being anywhere near the outer perimeters of the realm, Kylo had begun to fear the worst. For that, he had no one else to blame but himself.

How could he had been such a fool that day? When he could've easily phased and urged her not to leave, or followed her when intuition proved him right; even if it meant breaking his word. He wouldn't have cared whether she'd gotten angry with him or not, at least he had been there to protect her. If Rey was dead, he'd never forgive himself.

**_Rey, my sweet ray of light. Where are you?_**

Soaring deeper into the forest he prayed for a sign that his search wasn't in vain. He needed something, a beacon or _anything_, to point him in the right direction of where to find her. Dead or alive, he just wanted to bring her home. Though he ardently wished for the latter. Having suffered so much loss already, the thought of losing Rey was more than he could bear.

But then, just when he was close to giving up hope, that's when he noticed it, a small object burnishing like a hidden gem reflecting intense rays of the sun in a thicket, near an overhang to a woodsy hilltop. It was the perfect place for stargazing, with little to no cover for shade at the bluff, providing a fully open aspect of the heavens. And a magnificent overview of the humans' kingdom.

**_Stargazing. Rey loves stargazing. There! She has to be there!_**

With renewed vigor, he hurried towards the signal, forcing his wings to exceed every limitation. Slowing as he drew near he landed gracefully where he believed the object would be. And there, amongst the fallen leaves and mud, with its string severed in half, was the ring he'd gifted Rey.

Regarding its fractured ends, he immediately assumed it was taken from her with force and thrown. It was a grim discovery, one in which implied she was dead, but instead made him believe she wasn't. If there was even the slightest chance that she wasn't alone, he would be ready to face whoever this time as a fairy, _not_ as a cowardly raven.

His body had begun to change the minute he closed his eyes, muscles and bones expanded to accommodate his towering height, bartering downy features for creamy skin and voluptuous layers of black hair. His raven wings regressed to broad shoulders, arms, and fingers, his puny bird limbs and talons reverted to muscular legs, feet, and toes. A striking set of ebony fairy wings spread from his shoulder blades, spanning outward to reach extraordinary dimensions in length.

Once the transformation ended he opened his eyes, hands supporting his hunched posture, Kylo saw the world in a way that he hadn't seen it in years. His vision certainly wasn't as keen as the raven's, and it'd been just under a decade since he used his real legs. Since he was no longer a weightless bird, he would surely be a bit wobbly.

Taking her ring in hand, his knees staggered under the weight of his body. Steadily, he rose to his full height, shivering as a gentle gust of precipitation grazed his bare skin. After relying only on feathers for protection against weather conditions, he'd forgotten the struggles of phasing without having decent apparel at arm's length.

However, his modesty woes could wait till later. Right now, the only notion worth bringing attention to was finding Rey. Fortunately, he hadn't needed to go much further before he finally did, and her trauma was far worse than he ever envisioned.

He found her lying motionless, in a fetal position, at the base of an oak tree. Her arms, legs, and face were coated by muck, the back of her dress stained a dark shade of crimson, soaked from the rain. And bloodied hind parts in the place of sumptuous wings.

Kylo tried to take a breath but the horror in his chest rendered his lungs deprived of their normal use of oxygen. If it hadn't been for the rain he might've noticed the moisture prickling behind his eyes. For a brief moment, his vision was tainted red. He swore to himself right then, that he'd find whoever had done this to her and kill them.

Clenching his fist around the ring he fell to his knees beside her, tentatively pressing two fingers along her carotid artery for a pulse. It was faint but there. Kylo sighed in relief. She was alive but he neededto get her home and mend what he could of her injuries.

Needing both hands free to carry her in flight he knotted the strings of her necklace, shortening them so it served as a bracelet on her wrist. Not once did she flinch while doing so. He moved to carefully gather her into his arms, sliding a hand under her shoulders, minding her wounds, and the other beneath her knees.

She groaned a little as he was flexing his biceps to lift her from the ground. He froze within mid-motion. Lolling her head to face him, she weakly nudged his chest with the back of her hand, wanting to push him away but miserably failed.

"Don't," she mumbled faintly, her voice heavily sedated. "Go. Please. Go away."

Wincing, Kylo swallowed and withdrew his hand from her legs, using his hand to brush away chunks of dirtied hair on her forehead.

"Rey, it's just me," he whispered raggedly, his voice faltered at the array of emotions bottled in his throat. "You're safe now. I promise."

At the sound of his voice, she stilled in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open. Where they were once full of life there was nothing but anguish. The kind of hurt that carried along the lines of betrayal. Lips partially agape, he held her stare long enough to witness the moment realization began polishing hers. Instead of a smile, her lips maintained a frown.

"Kylo," she breathed, scoffing, her hand remaining on his chest. "No, it can't be you. It's just another dream. You're not real."

He didn't bother to question her. The measure of weariness in her timbre, how cumbersome the words were for her to speak, could have only meant one thing. He examined her for additional signs of assault but found there were none. There were no bruises. No signs of her having pain elsewhere. This had been done for the sole purpose of removing her wings and doing so inconspicuously.

But of course, one malicious act was no better than the other. The emotional damage was just as severe. Understanding her hesitancy he shook his head, ensuring Rey he was precisely who he claimed to be. Taking her hand, he gave it a tender squeeze.

"No, sweetheart, I swear it's me," he affirmed. "I need you to trust me, okay? I'm taking you home. We're going home."

Reluctant, she stayed silent and gave him a curt nod. Hugging her torso, she didn't try to resist this time when he cradled her in his arms. Kylo was sure to have had a firm grip on her before spreading his wings and then took to the sky.

* * *

By the time they arrived at the realm, it was near the early hours of nightfall. Kylo knew the first thing he needed to do. In order to avoid infection in her wounds, he had no other choice but to bathe her. As much as she'd always hated the location the only replenishing source of fresh water was the falls.

Since he'd taken her there directly from the forest, he hadn't gotten the chance to find a suitable pair of slacks to wear. With him being naked and she a fragile state they surely would've been the center of gossip and attention. Everyone would likely want to ask questions.

Back in the days of his youth, he would've done everything to shy away from those types of situations. But now, the only thing that mattered to him was Rey. How much she needed him.

However, being that late in the day they were fortunate enough to have had the entire lagoon to themselves. In the absence of rolling nimbus clouds, a crescent moon revealed its setting in their place, stars sprinkled a clear sky amongst many constellations, illustrating a dark canvas that was once colored fuschia and marigold.

Fireflies loomed above cattails along the shoals of the riverbank, the sweet, chirping melody of insects flooded the atmosphere. Had he brought her there under lighter circumstances he might've considered the setting beautiful - possibly even romantic. He would've showered her with poems of how much she meant to him. Maybe -_ maybe_ \- he might've worked up the nerve to steal a kiss.

But now, those moments were merely wishful thinking.

He considered asking her if she remembered anything: if it'd been Hux or one of his cronies but then decided it best not to. In fact, she hadn't said anything aside from what she'd told him earlier, and her expression never grew beyond a lifeless gaze.

Even after wading in the shallows with her, carrying her protectively, he settled her between his legs in the warm water, her head reclining to his shoulder, and presented her the stars. Stars he knew she loved to watch more than anything. He hoped they'd be enough to distract her from the pain while he worked; although, in their presence, she still looked empty. And completely lost.

He realized then, he'd give anything to see her smile again. To hear her laugh when she cracked a ridiculous joke. To see that gleam of happiness in her eyes when a new artifact was found for her collection. Like her wings that happiness was stolen, too.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, gathering pools of water in his palms. He alternated drizzling it lightly over her shoulders and back, washing away bits of dried blood and dirt. "I should've been there for you, Rey."

Rey remained mute as he spoke, save for the short hum when he asked permission to untie her shoulder straps in order for him to better cleanse her wounds. Gingerly his fingers traveled along her shoulder blades, where lone remnants of down merged with skin. Whether it hurt her or not, her discomfort never showed.

"I'm sorry I waited so long to phase," he continued. Knitting his brows, a pained grimace crept over his lips. "You deserved that much in return for the kindness you showed me, but I was afraid. I've never made good company. And I…" He trailed off in his words, inhaling sharply through his nose. "I was afraid of disappointing you."

Rather than answering him directly, Rey lowered her chin askance. He took it as a sign she was waiting for him to say more. Satisfied of her cleanliness he began tying her straps, gathering his thoughts to say more in the process.

"My name is actually Ben Solo," he admitted through a long puff of air. "My home used to be in the marshes. But my parents - when they died, I became the raven. Until now," he paused, worrying his bottom lip, "I never had a reason to change back."

Craning her chin to the side she glanced at him over her shoulder, hazel eyes meeting brown, as his fingers slowly tied her final strap. When he finished, he slowly extended a hand to her cheek, the other gliding along the span of her shoulders, while she turned as equally slow at her waist to face him, her knee settling on his thigh. She just stared at him with wide, glossy almond eyes, as his thumb calmly grazed the swell of her cheekbone.

"I had a dream about you," she whispered. She held him at a momentary loss for words. "And you didn't disappoint me, Ben. Not at all."

Despite his cheeks flushing a vibrant shade of pink a smile tugged the corners of his lips, as she raised both hands to his glistening chest, gliding them over his pecs and threading her fingers behind his neck. Bowing his head, he pressed his forehead to hers. She heaved a shuddered sigh the moment they touched, her body trembling against his.

"Close your eyes, sweetheart," he commanded gently, and she obeyed.

Assuring her with a hand on her face, the other maneuvered toward the shattered remains of her wings. Tiny, shimmering orbs of gold dust promptly surged from his fingertips, seemingly guided by a magnetic force. They gravitated to each individually, their severed ends cauterized by the magic's searing yet soothing heat. The procedure was over no sooner than it began.

He hadn't needed to look at her to know that she was crying. He'd felt the water droplets beneath his thumb before he drew his head from hers. Cradling her face between his hands, he pressed his lips firmly to her forehead, whispering to her promises for a better tomorrow and those to come.


	5. Chapter 5

Ben had heard of the realm's most respectable and oldest fairy, Maz Kanata, only once before. Reputable for being a bit kooky and superstitious personality-wise the elder was also a woman capable of curing anyone of just about anything with her mystical remedies.

Remembering Maz was one of those who feared so-called _devil birds _Ben begrudgingly thought against phasing to raven form when Rey sent him to the elder fairy's oak tree for a new mason of balm for her pain, nestled within a quieter sector of wood behind the falls. And doing so left him with no other option but to travel through the lagoon at the busiest hour of the day.

Every female who was present there froze in mid-motion, hands hovering in place while combing another's hair, mouths hung open in between unspoken words, whispering and giggling to the fairy closest to them, completely enamored by his presence. Since he was the only male amongst a horde of glitz and glamour neither of them made their apparent interest in him the slightest bit subtle. The feeling itself was utterly new to him.

True, he hadn't been the most attractive fairy back in the marshes. Always felt like the ugly duckling in comparison to other males who were his age and older. So being eyed like a waddling slab of freshly carved meat by wild animals frothing at the mouth? _That_ was something he wasn't used to.

As much as it should've flattered him, he found that none of it mattered. Because none of those girls were Rey.

If it hadn't been for the black trousers he needed, Ben would have phased right then. But he was certain Maz wouldn't have appreciated a naked stranger moseying about inside her home. So he instead swallowed the anxiety building at the back of his throat and nodded toward each respectively.

Thank gods the torture hadn't lasted long. And thank gods none of them appeared to have been desperate enough to pursue him, as he rounded the mountainside and vanished from their view. Only then was he able to feel like he wasn't suffocating beneath the intensity of their shameless stares. The blush formerly embellishing his cheeks gradually faded to their prior creaminess.

Whereas everything west of the mountain seemed to be locked in a perpetual state of gloom, Maz's prodigious ancient oak was set aglow by the flickering flame of a lantern outside its entrance, and another at the base of its moss-covered steps. Strays of sunlight penetrating a dense blanket of cloud cover allotted an ethereal spotlight over bushes of boysenberries, lavender, sage, and ferns. Its enormous roots bowed above ground.

Ducking his head so to not hit the edge of the doorframe he heard the soft, resounding voice of a woman humming merrily from inside. Save for a single wall sconce hanging opposite of the doorway, being so dim in lighting made it nearly impossible for him to make out the tiny form of whom he presumed was Maz Kanata, busying herself in a diminutive space with maple-crafted cupboards and shallow basins for growing herbs. The aroma of lemon balm and bergamot lingered fresh in the air.

Hilariously, one of the first things he _did _notice was the ample amounts of garlic cloves strewn about in clusters near the low hanging archway of the entrance. Frankly, there was now little to no room for doubt in his mind that the little woman's superstitious beliefs hadn't been a joke.

Tentatively Ben cleared his throat, announcing his presence. "Hello?"

"Oh!" Maz cried out, her flinching silhouette noticeable even when standing in the dark. Clearly, his initial alert hadn't been enough. "Goodness gracious, you scared me! I wasn't aware that anyone would be stopping by today."

"Sorry," he grimaced. "I can come back later if yo-."

"Nonsense, don't be silly!" She huffed, waving a hand for emphasis as she shuffled closer toward him. "You're here, now. What can I do for you?"

As she came to stand before him Ben was at a loss for words when he saw the fairy was, in fact, the closest living relative of mythical pixies. A race believed to have been extinct long before his time and of his parents'.

Unlike him and other fairies in the realm, Maz was no taller than his waistline at full height, petitely framed with weathered gossamer wings in back. If it weren't for the wrinkles indicating her true age she might've been considered childlike in appearance. Her soft caramel eyes gazed up at him expectantly through the brim of a periwinkle-shaded bonnet, her chin-length auburn hair tightly permed underneath. A matching dress modestly hugged her bodice, fanning outward in layers shaped as poplar leaves that came just slightly below her knees.

"I, uh-," he blinked, not meaning to insult her he realized he'd been staring for too long. "I just need a jar of your healing ointment."

"Oh! Sure sure, of course," Maz assured as she immediately turned on a bare heel. Then she looked over her shoulder and beckoned him to follow. "You're welcome to come inside, my dear. Just watch your head. I'd hate to see that handsome face of yours hurt."

"Thanks." Ben's face began to flush again but he did as she had asked, certain that his wings were tucked securely along his back before he took a step further inside, minding Maz's words of caution.

There were various pots and pans as well as jars in sizes big and small scattered a muck. Some sat on the ledges of two very small window sills carved into the side of the tree, allowing the faintest bit of light to seep into the small room. Gourds and an array of dried herbs hung from above.

"What should I call you?" She called from her stance at a considerably tall cupboard, her delicate wings fluttering rapidly as she drove herself upward to reach a bluish mason jar on the top shelf.

"Just Ben is fine."

"Ben," She parroted with furrowed brows, gathering a select few of bundled herbs in her arms. "And what brings you here from the marshlands, Ben?"

The remark took him by surprise, as he hadn't recalled mentioning where he was from to her. "How did you know?"

"Let's just say that I'm particularly gifted at pegging the origins of certain fairies," she mused, settling the ingredients on the top of a narrow table, reaching for a nearby wooden mortar with a stone pestle for grinding. "When you've lived as long as I have you tend to pick up on the auras of others. And their spirit animal," she winked. "You look like a raven boy to me."

Surprised yet again by Maz's acute depth of perception, he almost considered asking her why she hadn't booted him from her home the moment she realized who he was. But he thought better of it and decided it was best _not _to press his luck.

"I was injured," he explained in a low, gruff voice, palming the raw flesh with a hand where the arrow had pierced his shoulder. "One of your own was kind enough to have helped me and welcomed me into her home."

"Oh?" Her brows perked as she finished sprinkling a fair amount of herbs into the mortar dish, and began using the pestle to grind it all into finer fragments. "And who might have that been? If it's alright for me to ask."

His lips parted for a beat before he spoke next. "Rey."

She smiled. "Of course, that doesn't surprise me. She's always been the nurturing type, especially with animals. But it's always worried me that someone could easily take advantage of her kindness one day. How is she by the way? I know she's always been the loner type but I haven't seen her here in a while."

Wincing, Ben dug his palm deeper into the scar as if it were capable of relieving the surmount of heaviness rising in his chest, his expression crestfallen. "She um - she's not well," he murmured solemnly. "Her wings, they were taken from her."

Having drizzled oil over the crushed herbs in the mortar seconds before his affirmation Maz returned the bottle to its place on the table harder than necessary, her glare at him severe. "Taken from her?" She uttered slowly. "As in having had them physically removed?"

Ben swallowed and nodded.

Maz was speechless. "How did this happen?"

"I wish I could say but I honestly have no idea. She hasn't spoken much of it all week. She - she's not the same Rey now, Maz." Flexing his jaw Ben clenched the fist on his chest. "But I do have my suspicions as for whom is responsible."

At that Maz lowered her gaze to the green, pasty substance forming in the mortar, lips pinched. "If I remember correctly, you marshland fairies are known for your excellence at healing." His nod confirmed her assumption. "So her external wounds are already healed. I'm afraid that the remedy she seeks from me, isn't what she truly needs to ease her discomfort."

Ben scoffed. "I don't understand."

Maz took a breath. "What I'm saying is that emotional wounds run deeper than anything exposed to us on the outside. She needs time. And love. And someone who can give her both will be substantially more powerful to her healing than any form of magic or herbal medicine."

Ben frowned as his mind absorbed what she had said like a dehydrated sponge though one term, in particular, was segregated from the rest. _Love_. He'd never been in love before. Neither could he be positively sure that he was in love with Rey. But she'd always made him feel differently in ways that could never be explained with words.

All he knew was that he'd do anything for her. _Be _anything for her, even.

Was that love?

He pondered over that as Maz finished the herbal concoction, pouring the greenish paste into the small mason jar and handed it to him. When he grabbed it gingerly with his hands she placed one tiny hand over one of his, gaining his undivided attention.

"Tell Rey I miss her. But this - what I am about to tell you stays between us." His nod in assurance encouraged her to proceed. "Just because something was stolen, doesn't mean that it's gone forever. _Nothing _is ever really gone if you only but look in the right places. Including the wings of a fairy."

* * *

Ben's venture back to the willow was spent reflecting over what Maz had told him. This time, he chose to fly instead of walking, wanting to avoid the lagoon entirely.

He thought over what she'd said about Rey's physical discomfort. How it was her mind refusing to let go of her agony, and he supposed that it made sense. Experiencing such trauma would have that immeasurable effect on someone. It explained her recurring night terrors as well. Ben would always wrap his arms around her tighter in an effort to calm her, his wings forming a cocoon for the pair inside their hammock.

It helped, and she always drifted back into a heavy slumber.

Now, the mere thought of it only amplified his hatred towards that certain ginger; even though Rey hadn't confirmed whether or not Hux was solely responsible for her assault or someone else. For her sake he never mentioned it. However, Hux's absence from her home since then made his guilt apparent.

He also thought over Maz's final words to him, wondering if there was any tangible proof behind them. How it was possible Rey could get her wings back. If that were indeed the case, then how? And where could he begin to search?

He wanted to tell Rey it was possible for her to claim her wings again but realized it was best that Maz insisted on keeping the information between the two of them a secret, the potential of it bringing more harm than good if it ever turned out to be false.

He couldn't fathom losing her more than he had, as she was already dangerously teetering the edge of falling into total darkness. And frankly, he hadn't been the only one who'd noticed her dramatic change of character the past week.

Landing at the entrance to the old weeping tree he saw a few critters lurking around its nearby shrubs: a couple of forest hares with the company of a seemingly anxious possum. A few wide-eyed, reddish fox squirrels measured the scene from branches higher above, all of them waiting in utter silence as he slipped inside, his wings tucked away neatly behind him.

At the center of the bountiful collection of gizmos was Rey, kneeling, feet crossed underneath her slouching frame, holding that silly fork in her hand, the spoon lying on a ribbon of smokey fabric from her dress at her side on the ground. Seeing the trinkets within her grasp, Ben suddenly remembered he'd never told her what they were called.

"It's a fork," he murmured, her quizzical look prompting him to enlighten more on what the strange object was in her hand. "Humans use them for eating meat and other things. We had something similar in the marshland. But ours were made of wood instead of pewter."

She nodded wordlessly, her eyes lowering to the other piece of flatware.

"And this?" Her brows quirked.

"A spoon. It's for soups, liquids, foods that would typically slip through fork prongs."

He'd thought if she knew their names she'd finally smile but the frown remained in place. Like it was permanently drawn on her face among her many other scars. Puffing exasperatedly he cut across the room in a few short strides to the shelf full of lotion jars and pastes, placing the newly acquired one from Maz in an empty spot.

"Maz said to tell you she misses you," he admitted at a quieter octave.

"She knows where I live," she snarked rather dryly. "If she were at all concerned about me she could have come around."

Ben was taken aback by her astringency toward the elder fairy. "Rey, I don't think that's how it is with her," he explained cautiously.

Snorting she flung the utensil in her grasp to the gadget mound in front of her, landing with a harsh clatter of pewter hitting metal. "My wings were stolen from me, Ben. Not my competence," she quipped, her tone oozing with malice. She rose to her feet and turned to him. "I'm not stupid. I've never fit in here, to begin with. That's what happens when you're not accustomed to the typical norm like the rest of the mindless bots here. You become invisible to everyone else around you."

She left before Ben was able to counter then, but he hastily followed. Leaves rustled in the background as critters scurried to the safety of their homes in the brush.

"That may be the case for them," he called after her, leaving a small gap in between them when she came to an abrupt stop at the river bank. "But not to me. I see you, as clearly as I can see the rest."

Rey stood quietly with her back directed toward him, hugging her torso. "It must be such a disappointing sight for you to see," she mumbled in a voice that was almost too quiet for him to hear.

Gods, how it pained him to hear her say that. If she only knew how crazy he was about her maybe she'd understand.

"No," he swallowed thickly, "that's where you're wrong. You're still as beautiful as ever."

"Maybe you should take a closer look with your raven eyes then."

Ben took a step closer, a sliver of space is all that divided them. "I have. And it pales in comparison to how I see you now."

With a sharp huff, she spun on a heel to challenge him, craning her neck so to accommodate him towering above her. "That's the cruelest thing you could ever say to me," she snarled, her tone lacking venom.

He flinched at her rebuke. "How?"

"How?" She scoffed. "Look at me, Ben! I have nothing to offer you. You deserve someone who's beautiful. Someone who isn't deformed. Someone who -." Closing her eyes, her head shook solemnly. "Someone who isn't broken."

Ben considered her. "You didn't ask for this to happen, either," he uttered soothingly. Cradling her face in his palms she stared at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "We're all a little broken, Rey. Some of us more than others." As he spoke his thumbs lovingly caressed her cheeks, his eyes radiating sheer devotion. "Sometimes we just need that someone who's willing enough to stay and help pick up the pieces."

Rey shook her head, sniffing. Although he could see that her interior walls were beginning to crumble. "I'll only be a burden to you if you stay."

His eyes fell to her trembling lower lip. Stilling his movement with a hand in place on her cheek, the other tentatively skimmed the bottom swell of her lip. "Then that's something I'm prepared to accept." As he continued to speak their lips inched closer and closer. When he spoke again they nearly brushed. "Because no matter what, I choose you."

Everything seemed to have blurred together in the moments that followed. One minute he was delivering words of comfort and in the next, his lips were pressing tenderly to hers. The kiss itself was fleeting but it was all they needed to express what the other was thinking, without explicitly stating those three significant words aloud.

"We'll make it through this," he whispered assuringly as they parted. "Together. Okay?"

Worrying her bottom lip, she nodded. "Promise?"

His mouth twitching at the corner was his only reply. He thought he saw her smile then, too.


	6. Chapter 6

Rey woke the next morning to the sun rising at its brightest over the canopy greens, a fair bit of song in the air from birds sitting at high roosts in trees.

Seemingly refreshed she realized she'd made it through the night without the hindrance of night terrors corrupting her dreams. The sensational tingle on her lips reminded her of the kiss the night before. The remembrance of it made her smile.

Yes, a _real _authentic smile.

She regretted doubting him after he had proven his loyalty time and time again. She figured he only stayed because he felt obligated. That he owed it to her for the sake of returning the same kindness she'd shown him.

Gods, she had never been so wrong about anything in her life as she was then. And at the warmth of his tender touch that cold shell of astringency surrounding her heart softened to a pulp.

What was left in place of her emotional barriers was something so powerful it was rumored to be capable of moving mountains. Something that had effortlessly driven away the darkness she'd wittingly shrouded herself in. Something that could never be severed from her by the edge of a blade.

For once in her life, Rey understood what it was like to love someone and to have that same love returned.

She felt like an abandoned treasure buried below the sands of a pirate's cove and had just been discovered. Though the thought of losing yet another important piece of her life left her initially terrified. First her parents and her wings and now, she had Ben. The fear only heightened her need of wanting to keep him closer if it were at all possible.

Every day spent with him their relationship grew stronger, noticing trivial things that she loved about him. Like how much he talked with his hands and how he rambled faster on topics he enjoyed. And how he always seemed to be so fascinated by the smallest things she had to say. No matter the insignificance of her words he always made her feel as if they had actually mattered.

Their kisses also lasted longer, and every time he left her craving more. It was because of his constant affection that gradually made it easier for her to accept the absence of her wings. However, every now and then, memories of that day occasionally reared from the abyss, and she was once again reminded of the pain.

She wondered what might have happened if Ben hadn't found her. How easy it had been for a predator to have ended her misery.

Would she have felt it? Or would she have been numb to it? So many _what ifs _had circulated her mind ever since, and out of all the things that bothered her, the unknown troubled her the worst.

"Rey."

Fluttering her eyes at the sound of Ben's gruff voice, her head turned to see him staring intently, concern prominently written on his face. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

Her brows furrowed. "Yeah, why?"

He indicated toward the fruit in her lap with a curt nod. "You've been digging at that apple for quite some time now."

Frowning her attention veered to the apple cupped in her palm, a small particle of its outer red skin mutilated by her thumbnail, scraps of its inner juicy flesh gathered beneath her nail bed as a result of her absent-minded digging.

How long had she been out of it?

"Oh…" She scoffed, worrying her bottom lip. "Sorry, guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was."

Casting him a peripheral glance she saw he wore the same incredulous look he always had if she hadn't completely sold him on her little white fib. She knew that lying to him was fruitless, her conflict was as blatant as an open children's book.

She'd be fooling herself if she denied knowing that he worried about her constantly. He'd been so patient with her, it was the least she could do. And it wasn't like she _didn't_ want to tell him, cause in all actuality, she wanted to tell him everything.

But how could she possibly begin to simplify the things that happened in order for him to understand, when she was still trying to process everything herself?

"I have an idea," he chimed in, giving the devoured apple core in his hand a casual toss into the brush then turned to face her, leaning on his hip, a hand on the ground for pillar. "Let's go somewhere for the day."

She quirked a brow at him skeptically. "And go where?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Somewhere away from here and the lagoon. Or how about we just walk and see which direction the river takes us?"

Rey considered his offer. It'd been weeks since she last ventured anywhere beyond the perimeter of their willow with him. While a part of her dreaded leaving the security bubble that was her home, the other half of her deeply missed scavenging nature for abandoned trinkets. She reasoned to believe if anything should happen, she had Ben beside her.

"Sure," she nodded, offering him a frail smile. "A walk sounds perfect."

* * *

They followed the river to a private nook tucked away deep inside the forest, its soil rich and carpeted by lush clover and alabaster buds on top. Tall reeds sprouted from crystal clear water among rocky, shallow banks.

All around them were beds of various wildflowers, some with bulbs the size of an adult fist and others dainty. Their aroma so potent Ben almost tasted the sweet beads of nectar that honey bees busily gathered, buzzing from one flower to the next.

"This place is...exquisite," she stated in a voice of sheer amazement, eyes captivated by its charm. "How could I have lived here my entire life and not know that it existed."

Nodding in agreement his ears suddenly perked at the soothing resonance of a distant whir, its originating source a beehive he found dangling from a low-hanging branch nearby, bees swarming the outside.

Coming from a homeland that solely thrived on meat, he'd never tasted the impeccable flavor of honey before. He imagined it paired well with fruits and nuts they had periodically found. It would definitely spruce their diet up a bit, too.

His head jerked towards the bustling hive as he turned to Rey, still bewitched by the awe-inspiring scenery. "Think it's worth the risk?"

Drawn from her gaping, Rey crumpled her face at the query as she noticed what he had motioned to. "Worth getting stung a hundred times over? In my opinion, no. I'd rather you not try."

Ben snorted. "I'm sure there's a way to get it without being stung."

"I've had it once before, anyways," she grumbled. "Trust me, you're not missing out on much."

Frowning, he brooded at the hive. "Yeah, but what if I -."

Rey groaned in frustration. "Ben, I don't want the damn honey!"

Stunned by the belligerence in her outburst Ben clamped his jaw and immediately fell silent, his gaze snapping to hers. Where he had expected to see an expression that mimicked the tone of her words there was only remorse and shame.

She recoiled under his scrutiny and began to fidget with the ring on the bracelet that he'd given her, eyes trained on her toes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, flattening her lips. "I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't your fault."

Arms crossing over his broad chest Ben took a short breath. "Rey," he grimaced, "I never asked what happened that night because I'd hoped you would tell me when you were ready, and I understand if that time isn't now. But perhaps, telling someone would lessen the burden of feeling alone, and I know that's how you feel because I can see it."

Nodding wordlessly her eyes refrained from meeting his, standing in uncomfortable silence for a few passing beats. With no explanation appearing to be in sight he was ready to suggest that they should leave when Rey finally spoke.

"He wanted some time with me before the party started, just the two of us. As a friend, I owed it to him so I agreed." She smirked, "And I couldn't say _no _after he mentioned having snacks with him. He knows that I love food. We talked about stuff," her eyes coyly met his. "I may have mentioned you to him, too. He didn't like that though."

The slightest hint of a smile crept over Ben's lips. Rey proceeded to enlighten further on that fateful night, her brows knitted intensely.

"He, um," she swallowed hard, hugging herself as she shifted weight on her feet. "He asked if we could ever be more than friends. I apologized, after recovering from the shock of course, and assured him I didn't feel the same way. That I saw him as a friend and nothing else," she sniffed, a tear descending her cheek.

"I knew he was angry but he said he didn't want to ruin the rest of our time together. He asked if I was hungry and offered the honey and berry granola he brought. And it was really, really good." Her lone tear grew to a sob, "I don't remember anything after that, if it was _him _or not I don't know other than it was cold and dark and I was alone, Ben. I was alone and hurt and afraid and - and…"

"Rey, it's okay," he soothed, as he pulled her trembling frame flush against him, arms around her shoulders, lovingly massaging the back of her head with his hand. "It's okay, sweetheart. You won't have to be alone again."

"I just want to forget," she croaked, balling her hands into fists on his chest, tears dampening his bare skin. "Please, just help me forget. Please."

Ben felt his heart breaking with her every plea. If it hadn't been for Rey needing him right then and there, he would've gone looking for Hux and murdered him on the spot.

"I'll find him for you," he vowed through gritted teeth. "I swear, I will find him and avenge what he did to you." Pulling back from her he held her tear-stained face between his palms, leaving her no choice but to look into his eyes. "I wish I could take those memories away, I can't. But I _can _help you move on if you can also accept that being with me is enough and let me love you. Then maybe you'll forget on your own."

She stared back at him starry-eyed, as sunlight reflected off the moisture in her dazzling whites. "You've always been enough for me," she whispered in a voice so quiet the words almost drowned in the songs of nature. "I love you."

A smile promptly rid his expression of its previous somber state, his mind freshly reset to ease, as he repeated those same words out loud for her to hear. She gave a moment for the words to sink in, and he saw the effect they held over her was a mere equivalent of his own.

Planting her hands at the arc of his neck and shoulders she met his lips halfway and kissed him soundly. Where he was hardly experienced with kissing at the beginning of their budding affair he discovered with every stroke of her lips that he was becoming surprisingly quite good at it. Aside from enacting on instincts, he relied on the slightest hints as to what satisfied her yearning.

Emboldened, he tentatively teased the brim of her upper lip with his tongue, and she awarded him with the faintest of sighs in response. What he _hadn't _expected was for her lips to open then at the seam, welcoming him inside her mouth's exhilarating heat.

He exceptionally liked it when she threaded her fingers through his hair, giving their roots a gentle tug and rousing a moan that heartily rumbled his chest, and triggered a feverish chill that surged his spine as her blunt nail tips tenderly massaged his scalp.

His annoying, large hands though never ceased to give him fits. Foregoing the hassle of deciding where to put them he comfortably settled with the notion of keeping them low on her waist or safely above her shoulders.

Safe was good. Safe kept him out of trouble. And playing it safe had kept him alive throughout the years as a raven.

But then - _then - _she had the gall to go and ruin that rather sensible mind frame of his. The friction of her pelvis grinding his had awakened a problem he considered exceedingly worse than hand placement. For all he knew, there was only one way out of this sort of predicament. Two, if he were to count the use of his hand. Even then, after being a bird for nearly a decade he'd forgotten what it felt like.

But when she did it again, despite tightening his girth on her hips he found that he was physically incapable of expressing any term for her to stop. It felt good - _really _really good.

"Rey," he groaned raggedly.

Pausing in motion she gazed at him beneath hooded lashes, breathless and ignorant of the iron-hard bulge she had herself pressed up against.

"Wha - oh." Widening her eyes she noticed the apparent erection extending from his groin inside his trousers as she took a step back from him, a hand remained on his shoulder and the other cupped over her mouth, concealing a portion of the soft pink embellishing her cheeks. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry! I didn't -."

"No, no it's - it's okay," he stammered, his face burning an angry red. "I - I've just never done this before."

Chewing her bottom lip she managed to offer a coy smile. "Yeah, me too."

"I - we don't have to, you know, do anything." The thought of phasing suddenly crossed his mind as he nervously cleared his throat. Things were a lot easier as an ornament on her shoulder. "I mean if you want to…"

Gods, when had he turned into a desperate babbling idiot? He supposed he deserved that humility after living a majority of his life as a sheltered raven.

Yet, in spite of his childish ramblings, Ben was taken aback when she bashfully nodded her answer, tucking hair behind her ear with the hand she withdrew from his shoulder. Quickly wetting her lips with a swipe of her tongue, she loosened one of two elegant bows securing the dress' strap in place, jutting the shoulder with the other bow intact toward him.

Taking a breath, his fat fingers fought for a suitable grip on the strappy ribbon. It wasn't as if he hadn't done it before, except the difference between then and now was that he hadn't been trying to look at her breasts.

It came down to the point of him needing to talk himself through the motions, hoping his outer struggle wasn't as apparent as the raging battle inside his head. As the fabric crumpled to a heap at her feet, every speck of blood that his body contained gushed to his ears, oxygen trapped in his throat.

As she stood bare in front of him he took in her every curve, blemish, and freckle marking her taut figure. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen - with _and_ without her precious wings. He must've uttered the phrase out loud at some point because he saw her blushing even harder when he successfully pried his eyes from her perfectly round breasts.

"Y-You can touch me if you want," she murmured timidly.

Gods, he hadn't needed to be told twice. His giddiness inside soaring to new heights, higher than his wings could ever carry him. And they felt just as marvelous as he had imagined them to feel once upon a time.

His palm traced along the bottom swell to the peak of her nipple, finding she particularly enjoyed it when he gave its rosey bud an experimental pinch between his forefinger and thumb. Her sharp gasps punctuating his circular motions stirred his growing arousal.

Grinning at her reaction he repeated the act as he leaned over and began showering kisses along the slender column of her neck, lingering at her pulse as she was most susceptible there to his lips.

Her fingers grazed the subtle grooves of his toned abs, and trailing the dark line of hair from his navel to the top hem of his slacks, determined to free his swollen cock of its ridiculously tight confinement with every caress of his hot tongue over her skin.

Urging the slacks beneath his waist his engorged length sprung to her pleasurable view at high mast, its painfully engorged skin softer than either of the finest silks but also coating the strongest steel. She curiously wrapped each of her five fingers around its base, causing him to hiss through his teeth and groan into her skin.

Pumping him leisurely had nearly sent him crashing over the edge if he hadn't been so adamant to experience the rush of finishing inside her. Rey encouraging him to touch the slickness between her folds hadn't been much of a help either but he stubbornly couldn't bring himself to resist.

And as for whom suggested the idea that they should lie on the ground he couldn't say, because one minute he was standing and the next he was on his back, his ebony wings providing ample cushion on the luscious blanket of clover, Rey on her knees and straddling him at either side of his waist. Whether it had been his idea or hers he didn't care, the view of seeing her angelic face hovering above him was worth it, and surrendering any and all control of the situation to her was exhilarating. But it had also enabled him to see just how nervous she was; even while having him at her mercy.

"Nervous?"

Wincing, she nodded curtly twice. "Just a little."

Blindly reaching for her hands grappling her thighs, he wove their fingers together. "Take your time, try not to think about the pain. And keep your eyes on me."

It wasn't the greatest advice in the world, not like what she had offered him before removing the arrow from his wing. But it must have helped as she loosened the nervous grip on his hands, transforming her frown to a smile that spread to her eyes. She leaned in for a chaste peck on his lips.

"I love you," she affirmed sweetly, her warm breath tickling his lips.

"I love you, too," he replied huskily, his heart a battering ram to his ribs.

She kissed him again, keeping a firm grip on his hand and releasing the other she rose onto her knees. His breathing hitched as she probed her glistening entrance with the head of his cock, lathering him in her slick so to make taking him easier. As she slowly lowered onto him he gazed on in amazement as he gradually disappeared inside her, her inner walls forcibly stretching to accommodate his width.

He tried not to cave into initial instincts, however the strong urge not to buck his hips became significantly difficult as his cock was fully encompassed by her simmering heat. Flexing his hold on her hand and thigh, his resounding moan in pleasure as he arched his back swallowed her innocent mewl.

"Gods, Rey," he growled, "you feel so incredible."

He'd hoped she could say the same thing, that the experience for her was equally amazing as it was for him. Bearing the thought in mind he almost felt guilty then for saying it.

Thankfully, she confirmed a few moments later that the ache of his presence lulled to munificent fullness, and a simple roll of her hips gifted them the extraordinary thrills of love-making. As she moved at a leisure pace he swiftly met her hips with shallow thrusts, driving themselves to that delectable stage of becoming more blissfully intertwined than ever.

Feeling her orgasm flutter around him was as close to experiencing Heaven descending as he'd ever get, only it wasn't the face of a higher power that he saw but a stunning pair of hazels staring back as he rapidly followed. Her hair hung freely around her face in cascades of rich auburn waves as Rey hovered above him, chest flaring in sync with his winded breaths.

Not caring that they were at a total loss of air Ben brought his hands to her face, the sweat on their bodies blending as he drew her closer and kissed her deeply.


	7. Chapter 7

There was a time when Rey had considered her body a prison, bound by insecurities held beneath internal darkness. It had taken her meeting Ben to realize she'd sentenced herself to that lonely world of desolation not long after her parents disappeared. Hux's betrayal had only provided more fuel to that lifelong enmity.

Because why else had her own flesh and blood abandoned her? And having no friends must've meant something was wrong with her - right?

Well, according to Ben, the answer to that was a most definite _no_.

She tried to believe him, but it was easier said than done. No thanks to other fairies who continuously hurled insults whenever she and Ben ventured near the lagoon.

Rey pretended not to have noticed. Although, occasionally, the poison coating their barbs seeped into her pores like daggers tearing through flesh. Even with the cascades roaring in the background, the insults rang plain as day to her ears.

"Is that a _human_ he's with?" She overheard a fairy remark.

"Duh, he's gorgeous! Don't you know being with someone like her puts the focus on him?" Another quipped.

Out of all the slander she heard, the comment that never ceased to cut her the deepest was '_he must feel sorry for her._' She found herself needing constant reassurance that it wasn't true.

Ben never said much over the matter, but she knew that he had to of heard them too. Jaw flexed at the slightest mention of _wingless fairy, _she saw the disdain of their rueful pettiness through the fire gleaming in his eyes.

Rather than causing a scene he would give her hand a squeeze. He'd lean over then and kiss her temple or her lips. Sometimes both. He'd remind her that he loved her - and Rey believed him.

As the days carried into weeks, the fears regarding the credibility of Ben's feelings towards her progressively receded. The more those inner chains crippled at the links, the more she felt like herself again.

Her _old _self.

The Rey before she was abandoned. Before she was betrayed. In the place of scars, she felt powerful, confident, and free - and irrevocably in love.

Every so often though, for the sake of acquiring a better peace of mind, they walked to that secluded hideaway beyond the realm. During one of their mid-afternoon leisure strolls together, her attention flitted from its previous quest of finding new trinkets for her collection to something else entirely.

"I was wondering," Rey stated pensively, brows furrowed. "That night when you healed me - was it hard to do?"

Ben slowly shook his head, upper lip quirked. "I mean, I guess it was a bit complicated at first. But like any skill, it requires practice in order for you to succeed, and it'll eventually start coming to you naturally."

Wetting her lips, Rey raised her head and looked at him, eyes hopeful. "Could you teach me?"

Ben met her gaze. "What, healing?"

Rey smiled somewhat coyly. "How 'bout everything?"

Ben was taken aback. Abruptly, he came to a stop and faced her fully, head cocked. "You were never taught?"

She winced at that. "Maybe." She hugged herself loosely, sighing. "Pretty lame for a fairy not to have harnessed her powers, huh?"

Ben shook his head. "Not at all," he acquiesced gently, as he took a step forward and began massaging her arms. "Not all fairies are eager to learn about the magic they possess, it's what makes us all different."

Rey smiled and nodded. "I guess if you wanna put it that way…"

"You know that I'm right," he smirked. "Plus, learning late is better than never. We'll just have to start with the basics before you try healing."

"Oh." Her nose wrinkled in disappointment. "Such as?"

"Levitation," Ben said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Turning on a heel, he scanned the brush for an object she supposed would be used for demonstration.

"Levitation," she repeated in a livelier tone. "So, lifting rocks and stuff?"

"Basically," he affirmed shortly from over his shoulder. He puffed an audible '_ah!' _as he bent at the waist to retrieve a fairly small pebble from the riverbank running alongside their trail. He returned wearing a broad smile on his face. "Here, I'll show you."

Unable to retain her excitement, a tightly suppressed squeal escaped her lips as Ben revealed the tiny pebble lying in the bed of his large palm. He chuckled at that but Rey didn't care.

Rey kept her eyes trained on the small object in his right hand, not allowing a single movement to go unnoticed. She noted how his left hand hovered above the other, index finger dipped just a smidge lower than the rest. He gave the finger a swift flick in an upward motion.

She gasped sharply when the pebble rose almost instantly on command, floating in the empty space between his hands as if an invisible thread were linking the two together. She felt like a child witnessing the wonders of magic for the first time in her life. Sadly, though, she actually was.

"This is _so_ cool," Rey gushed, her eyes dazzled in amazement.

Still beaming ear-to-ear, Ben released the magnetic hold on the pebble, falling to his palm. "Now I want you to try," he insisted, handing it to her.

Nodding, Rey drew in a deep breath as she accepted the tiny object from him. "Okay…"

"Don't worry, this is about as simple as it gets," he assured, making her confidence ascend. "The trick here is to clear your thoughts, focus your energy on what needs to be done. You want to establish a connection with that pebble, show that you're in control. And when you can do that, you'll be able to force anything to bend to your will - if you put your mind to it."

Gods, the amount of faith he always put into her was astonishing. Always made her feel she could do anything. For that, she was determined to _not_ fail him. She could do this.

_I can do this_.

"You've got this," he praised as he took a few steps to the side and stood behind her, hands settling on her waist. "Breathe. Just breathe."

_Just breathe. _

Nodding in response to his words, Rey closed her eyes as she centered herself, her hand with the pebble leveled and extended inches from her torso, the other hovering above in the same position as Ben had displayed his.

Adhering to his advice, she kept her mind clear of thoughts. Every sound in their environment gradually diminished to a soft, distant buzz. She felt tremendously light; like she'd defied gravity and was transported to an unknown dimension.

Except, when Rey opened her eyes, she found that not only had her feet remained planted on Earth, but the pebble was hovering steadily between her hands. Yet she realized, at some point, she had brought them closer her face.

However, like a cyclone forming before her expanding pupils, the levitated pebble began to spin, slowly then startlingly fast. Within its orbit, a series of shocking images were revealed, though she was experiencing the scenes through the eyes of someone else.

Or perhaps _something _else, she couldn't say.

Regardless of it being _who_ or _what_ the life she channeled was fluttering amongst the outskirts of the fairy realm, seemingly approaching a large sycamore scalped of its canopy. Rey caught a glimpse of a nearby thicket, where thorns flourished on vines that coiled around trunks, like malicious serpents.

_I know this place…_

She'd been there in a daydream - in a nightmare. In terms of reality, she'd visited Hux's murky homestead once.

But it was the next vision that pried her from the trance and sent her frantically tumbling back into Ben's chest, her own heaving in the calm shelter of his arms.

"Rey!" Gripping her exceedingly slim biceps, Ben urged her to turn and face him. Seeing the panic in her eyes he cradled her flushed cheeks. "What happened? Talk to me!"

"I _saw _them, Ben!" She sobbed wildly, hands tightly balled into fists at the front of her dress. "I saw them. They were there!"

Frowning, his brows knitted. "Okay, sweetheart, you have to calm down. What was there? What did you see?"

With her eyes clenched, Rey swallowed thickly, trying to regain her composure. "My wings," she affirmed in a calm voice prior to opening her eyes, hooded and lashes drenched in tears. "H-he has my wings."

Lips parted ever so slight, Ben was silent no longer than a passing beat. After a brief pause, what he proceeded to admit left her completely thunderstruck.

"Rey, what if I told you that it was possible you could get your wings back?"

* * *

**Are we getting that confrontation with Hux? YES, WE ARE!**


	8. Chapter 8

Save for the resonance of water trickling down the riverfront, the forest went uncomfortably silent the minute Rey learned there was a small chance she could recover her wings. In response to Ben's revelation, every creature within hearing range of the conversation seemed to have held its breath in anticipation to listen to what she had to say.

But to Ben's dismay, Rey never responded; at least, not the way in which he had wanted her to react.

Her expression was, quite frankly, unreadable. He winced as it suddenly dawned on him the moment Rey took three steps back from him that he had gone against the elder fairy Maz's wishes. In return, he was also left feeling ashamed.

Shoulders squared rather tensely, Rey folded her arms over her chest, lashes rapidly batting as she just stood there across from him in utter confusion. The longer he was forced to endure that tortuously awkward silence, Ben felt more and more like a tortoise wanting to retreat inside its shell for comfort.

_No, you can't hide from this one, Solo…_

But - damn it! Upsetting her even more was the last thing he had wanted to happen. Come to think of it, they'd never even fought before - until now, that is. He had his own lack of judgment to thank for that.

Thankfully, in the midst of wagering war with himself, Ben was relieved when Rey took it upon herself to resume conversation; whether that was good or bad was yet to be determined.

"I- what?" Rey stammered, her voice rose a smidge higher at the final word. In the background, birds carried on singing carols, tempering the mood only by a little.

Swallowing with difficulty, Ben cleared his throat. "I - It's possible that -."

Rey raised her palm in demand for silence, and he immediately clammed up like an animal obeying its master. "I know what you said," she hissed, as her extended hand retreated to the crook of the opposite arm. "What I want to know is _how_?"

Nervously running both hands through his raven locks, Ben sighed. "I don't know. Honestly, I don't." Shrugging, his arms proceeded to cross over his chest. "I was just repeating what Maz told me that day I visited her. I didn't know what she meant by it at first, but it makes sense based on what you saw in the vision."

Rey scoffed. "She said that?"

He nodded. "In a weird, sort of cryptic way - yes."

"So, you've known all this time and you now felt the need to tell me about it?"

Again, Ben swallowed thickly. Ensuring Rey that Maz had specifically requested _not_ to inform her was an option if he were to place blame on the kooky elder, but he knew better than to stoop to that level of childish behavior. Chewing the inside of his left cheek, he glanced down at his feet as Ben shifted weight.

"I wasn't deliberately trying to hurt you, Rey," he murmured to the earthy terrain that his eyes were trained on. His heart ached at the prospect of betraying her in _any_ sort of way. Then he gave her judgmental glare a tentative look, and her hazels were no longer rigid and icy as they were before. "I just didn't want to get your hopes up."

Gods, it was a lousy excuse… But apologizing wasn't necessarily Ben's forte.

He recalled what his mother used to say whenever Leia found him stealing strips of gator jerky from a jar inside their kitchen corner cupboard. He'd throw out whatever white fib that came to mind first in order to elude punishment.

Years later, he could still hear what his mother usually said next, as if she were currently the one scolding him herself and not Rey: _Benjamin Solo, you're expressions never cease to betray your emotions. _

In other words, he might as well had '_I'm guilty' _scribbled across his forehead.

"False hopes or not, you should've told me," Rey chided. While there was still a gleam of anger to her reprimand, her gaze lacked its initial ferocity. Ben let himself relax upon noticing that, and his large wings drooping in motion with his muscles surely made the discomfort he had harbored all the more apparent. "You knew and yet you still found it appropriate to keep it from me. Had our positions been reversed I would have told you and _not _have kept it a secret."

"I know," he whispered. Taking a cautious step towards her, Ben bridged the gap between them, causing her neck to crane some as he drew closer. "And I'm so, so sorry for keeping it from you. I just couldn't watch your heart break any more than it has from this."

Rey sighed. "I know," she said quietly. "As much as I hate what you did, I know you meant well by it."

Ben shook his head. "No more lies," he affirmed, and then a weak smile teased at the corners of his mouth. Rey's did, too. "So - what's the plan?"

Rey took a breath, quickly wiping the tears beneath her eyes away with a knuckle. "Simple," she quipped. "We get my wings back. End of story."

"Okay," Ben grunted. "I agree, yes. But we can't just go barging into Hux's home when we don't know _what_ he's capable of. He's had plenty of years to hone his abilities. We need some sort of plan."

"He took my wings," Rey spat, the venom in her tone punctuating every word. "I'll burn the whole damn tree down if I must."

Ben blinked in surprise. "At least let me scout the place first."

Her scowl deepened. "Why?"

"Because what if this ends up being a trap of some sort?"

Rey rolled her eyes. "It's not a trap, Ben," she groaned agitatedly. "Don't be ridiculous! It's likely he'll be out hunting with Gwen anyways, and even then I still think it's best that neither of us goes alone."

Sighing heavily, Ben began massaging the back of his neck with a hand, the other hanging free at his side. "Rey…"

"No!" She snapped. As she spoke again her voice and features gradually softened. "You're vulnerable as the raven. Armie has shot you once before - and missed on purpose. Don't think he'll be making the same mistake twice if he should find you snooping about."

Ben grimaced. She made a good point. "Fair enough…"

Rey nodded. "Besides..." she added while closing the distance between them completely and wrapped her arms around his waist. In turn, Ben's hands settled on her biceps. "I think we'll be stronger if we stick together."

"And I want to believe you." His thumbs were thoughtfully tracing circles over her bare arms. "But Rey, you're just beginning to test your powers. If _anything _happened to you -."

Rey cut him off by pressing her pointer over his lips. When she was certain that he wasn't about to protest, her hand fell to his chest. "If I remember correctly, you told me that if I was able to succeed with levitation, I could do anything if I put my mind to it - and I did."

Seeing that Rey wasn't about to relent any time soon, Ben's jaw clamped down on his cheeks and closed his eyes before bowing his head.

"Good," she asserted. The grin on her face reflected the measure of satisfaction in her timbre when his eyes opened. "Let's do this, then."

Weeks prior, Ben would have lunged at the opportunity to destroy Hux in every way imaginable without giving the notion a second thought. But now...he couldn't help but fear the worst. Every scenario should the mission happen to fail flashed through his thoughts.

Would she be willing to take the other fairy's life if push came to shove? And if so...would his love be enough to save her then, too?

* * *

Nearing the realm's less than pleasant outskirts, the large sycamore came into view as Rey and Ben carefully tread through the scattered limbs of toppled trees. Along the way, they passed the occasional skeletal remains of deer and coon, marking a graveyard-like pathway directly towards the front doorstep of Hux's gloomy homestead.

_How could I have been friends with such a horrible monster for all these years?_ Rey thought to herself.

Her stomach began to churn as a warm breeze carried the harrowing stench of death and decay through scraggly shrubs and thorny vines to her nostrils. Enacting on instincts to repress the sudden urge to vomit, she raised a hand and covered her mouth.

"So, this is home sweet home," Ben dryly remarked as he trailed a few paces behind her.

Unable to trust that her stomach wouldn't lose its contents from breakfast earlier, she simply nodded in response. Moments later she mustered the courage to speak and removed her hand from her mouth. "Yeah," she snarked, sparing a glance over her shoulder at him. "Isn't it charming?"

Ben snorted. She heard him mumble something like _"Can't say he hasn't changed" _under his breath, and she remembered then that Ben had also grown up with Armie back in the marshes. He never had much to say in regards to his childhood, but she could only begin to imagine how cruel Armie was to Ben in his youth.

Pausing in her tracks just before reaching the sycamore's entrance, Rey spun around to face him, extending a hand so that when Ben stopped it was pressed flat to his naked chest.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his brows furrowed with heavy concern. "Is Hux there?"

Rey's head shook _no_. "No, I just - I just wish that I'd known you back then," she stated in a voice that was a hearty mix of sorrow and regret. "Instead of us meeting years later, under the worst circumstances. Neither of us would've had to be alone for as long as we've been - and maybe, I wouldn't have been so eager to make friends with _him_."

Lips curved ever so slight, Ben cradled her jaw between his palms, and the kiss he gave her aroused a blissful sigh from her lungs. Keeping the hand on his chest planted there, Rey lifted the other and laced her fingers through the remarkable soft layers of hair behind his head. Her mind began to spin with every caress of his mouth against hers as the kiss grew deeper.

She'd almost forgotten the location in which they were standing as the kiss dwindled to soft pecks, and found herself mourning the loss of his touch when their mouths drifted apart. As Ben continued to hold her face long after the kiss had ended, Rey couldn't help but become mesmerized by those soulful eyes of his.

_His eyes_ \- gods, their depths seemed endless; like he had been a part of this world for centuries rather than a few decades.

"We can't change what happened in the past, Rey," he murmured in a mystic manner. "Even the most powerful fairies aren't capable of changing what could have been. But what we _can_ do, is better ourselves. We can bury the past. And we can grow beyond what we've learned from our own experiences."

_That _was something she hadn't expected to hear. As a matter of fact, she wasn't quite sure at first what to make of his advice. "So - forget and move on as if nothing had happened?" She scoffed. "Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"To move on? Yes. But to forget, no - not really," he explained earnest. "The good. The bad. These things happen because they're meant to shape us. But allowing those tribulations to consume you means that you've chosen to let them define who you are inside."

The words hit her like a runaway chariot carrying a hundred tons of sweating dynamite. Reflecting on the day's prior events, she realized that he hadn't just spoken about fairies and woes in general: everything was about _her_.

And everything was so painfully true.

Her anger and bitterness towards others rose from her inability to cope with the scars from her past. Adding in the loss of her wings, she was merely the shadow of a fairy - with untamed, newly awakened powers - roaming aimlessly in the ashes of the aftermath.

What made it seem worse was the fact that Rey couldn't say whether or not revenge would ever be enough for her to move forward, and she wondered if this had all been a test. Which led her to believe that this happiness she was currently experiencing, was but a sheer taste of what she could actually have with Ben if she would just learn to let go.

She neededto forgive those who had wronged her. She had no other choice but to let go.

And she did.

The minute Rey closed her eyes and said the words out loud, it was as if the universe had been waiting this whole time for her to say them. With her eyelids tightly sealed, she was unable to witness the brilliant golden aura surrounding her illuminated figure. Simultaneously, Ben was sent stumbling backward in shock. For a fleeting yet satisfying moment, her heart was pumping an intense, fiery heat akin to streams of liquid magma through her veins. The oxygen filling her lungs had never felt so light - weightless, almost. And carefree.

It was the same feeling that used to succumb her while soaring through the clouds.

"Rey," Ben breathed, his voice airy and laden with amazement. "Sweetheart, open your eyes."

Acquiescing to his request, Rey's eyes turned moon-shaped upon seeing those familiar tawny feathers with specks of gold in their quills on her back. "Oh, my gods, Ben!" She squealed in wholesome delight, clapping her hands as a smile brighter than the sun blossomed on her face. "My wings!"

Laughter erupted between them as Rey excitedly threw her arms around Ben's neck. He hugged her tightly while hoisting her body upright against his. The small celebration was cut short though when the sound of voices coming from a patch of trees in the distance caught their attention.

_Armie and Phasma. _

"Rey," Ben said, drawing her vision back to him, still clinging to one another in the act. His expression was knowing, much the same as hers.

Drawing a shallow breath, Rey gave the thicket a final look and nodded assertively without so much as giving the notion a second thought. Ben was apprehensive when her gaze returned to his.

"Okay," she smiled. "Let's go home."


End file.
